


Fairytales & Bookshops

by soul_writerr



Series: Rafael's Bookshop [3]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: ADA Sonny Carisi, Bookshop Owner Rafael Barba, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insecurity, M/M, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, bookstore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:29:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23278633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: The bookshop is Sonny's favorite place in the world, and kissing Rafael is his favorite thing to do, ever. They've created a little bubble for themselves and when talks of "meeting the family" come up, they have to wonder just how ready they are.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Series: Rafael's Bookshop [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641682
Comments: 31
Kudos: 66





	Fairytales & Bookshops

**Author's Note:**

> This one took almost a month to be written, but here it is! This series has become such a safe haven for me!! And thank you to everytone who's shown their love.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! MWAH

Spring was Sonny’s favorite time to be at the bookshop. It was his first stop after work, and his destination every weekend. He’d made a routine out of leaving Staten Island immediately after mass on Sundays with excuses of “too much work”, arms full of casseroles, ears burning with complaints from his parents and sisters, just so he could get there well before closing time.

The second Sonny stepped into Rafael’s little bookshop all tension left his body; his mother’s nagging no longer bothered him, his work worries vanished. Opening the door, the little bell above the threshold announced his presence, and the shop welcomed him into its warm and comforting atmosphere, which Sonny had been obsessed with from the very first visit.

The place smelled like new, fresh paper and the quietude was soothing instead of intimidating. When there were clients around, he could hear books being pulled from the shelves, pages turning, the gentle murmur of voices reading the covers and summaries.

And when the shop was empty, there were only the sounds of Rafael - his content sighs as he sipped his coffee, his satisfied hum when he finished organizing a shelf, the soft gasp of interest when he got a delivery with new books, and his bright laugh whenever Sonny purposely made a fool of himself.

Sonny’s favorite thing was when Rafael started reading out loud; the different tones and inflections he adopted, the dramatized interpretations - Sonny absolutely lived for those moments.

That morning in particular, Sonny had stepped through the door with a bouquet of yellow tulips in one hand and tupperware with a big slice of homemade carrot cake in the other - a Tessa Carisi classic. Rafael had been dusting off a shelf, and he called out “I’ll be right with you” in the calm but cheery voice he used with clients.

But when he came around the corner, swerving piles of thick novels in every corridor, his whole face lit up the second he spotted Sonny standing there amongst the travel books. He smiled, then turned bashful when he caught sight of the gifts.

The sun was pouring through the window then, although not as harshly as it did on summer days, and it bathed Rafael in a golden glow that made his skin look even tanner. His soft expression was inviting, loving, and the familiar picture immediately reminded Sonny of all the weekends he spent with Rafael in his shop, even before they got together.

Sonny liked to sit on the armchair by the window and let the warm light heat his skin up, not strong enough to burn. Sometimes Agatha joined him, jumping on his lap and napping away or demanding pets. Other times, he’d curl up and watch Rafael work around the store, wishing the chair was big enough to fit the both of them.

There came a day, about eight months ago now, when just watching wasn’t enough. Sonny had definitely felt it coming; it’d been sizzling under his skin, thickening the air around him, sending his heart into overdrive. He couldn’t hold it in anymore or he’d go crazy.

That day, Sonny had seen right through Rafael’s reaction to him saying he was interested in someone. Sonny knew him well enough to notice the jerky movements of his hands as he placed books back into shelves, his shoulders tight and brows knitted together.

It was funny to look back at that moment now, because a second before they had first kissed Sonny realized that Rafael had been waiting for that for a long time, too.

“Hey,” Sonny breathed, stepping further into the shop, right into Rafael’s personal space. He leaned down to kiss him hello, a soft peck, and smiled. “I come bearing surprises.”

Rafael smiled, big and bright. “I wonder what it could be.”

Sonny handed Rafael the flowers with a grand flourish, getting a deeper kiss as a show of gratitude. He then went to put the cake on the counter, but was intercepted by something brushing around his legs.

He looked down, already half-amused, and chuckled at Agatha making herself known. Sonny was absolutely smitten with her; he’d had dogs growing up - a black sausage puppy named Lasagna - and his experience with cats was limited, but he loved Agatha. So he let Rafael take the cake from him and crouched down to pick her up, immediately placing a kiss on the top of her head.

“Hi, pretty girl,” Sonny said in a low voice. “I missed you too. Look how much bigger you look! All healthy, uh? I bet Raf is giving you all the good food, isn’t that right?”

“A couple clients have been bringing her treats, too,” Rafael said amusedly, going around the checkout counter and opening a drawer to pull out two forks. He’d set the flowers by the end of the counter, and they looked as good as Sonny thought they would. “She’s spoiled.”

Sonny smiled. “Good,” he kissed her again and set her back down, her fur like butter through his fingers as she jumped from his hands to the floor. “Hey,” he said again, rounding the counter to pull Rafael in by the waist.

“Hey yourself,” Rafael said softly, hands on Sonny’s chest. “Thank you for the flowers.”

“It’s Spring, you gotta have flowers,” he said with a shrug. “And you have to try this cake, ma really outdid herself this time.”

Rafael hummed. “In a minute.”

Sonny smirked at the look in Rafael’s beautiful green eyes and pushed him against the counter to kiss him, deep and wet. He had to admit - kissing Rafael was an obsession. He just wanted to do it all the time, he thought about it every damn second, he craved it like nothing else.

The way Rafael melted into him was addictive, and the practiced slide of their lips and tongues was a particular fixation of his. He’d been hooked the first time they kissed, completely swept off his feet into a frenzy of push and pull, lick and suck and bite.

And so now when he pressed himself against Rafael’s body and tilted his head, their lips molded perfectly together, moving in synch, Sonny was on fire. He groaned, pleased, when Rafael nipped his bottom lip before licking up into his mouth in a move that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

It was exhilarating, all but hiding in a corner of the room, making out like teenagers, seemingly never getting enough of each other. Sonny squeezed Rafael’s hips and pulled him into himself again, tight and possessive, and Rafael shuddered before breaking their kiss.

“Not during business hours,” Rafael said, as he always did when they got carried away, but Sonny was distracted by his lips looking so raw and shiny.

“Can you close a little earlier?,” Sonny joked, knowing full well Rafael wouldn’t.

Rafael chuckled, shook his head and placed a couple more kisses to Sonny’s sensitive lips before pushing him away. “I’ll share my cake if you promise to behave.”

Sonny grinned. “Is that code for something, Raf?”

And there was Rafael’s bright laugh, his eyes going squinty. “Later.”

The bell above the door rang again, and Sonny and Rafael turned to see an old lady quickly limp her way into the shop. She ran her eyes over the shelves curiously, reading some titles under her breath, then spotted the two of them.

“Do either of you work here?,” she asked in a croak.

“Yes,” Rafael promptly walked towards her. “How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for that book with the red cover,” the lady started. “With the picture of a girl.”

Sonny bit his bottom lip, leaning against the counter as he watched Rafael blink owlish at the lady. Customers who had no idea what they were looking for were always the funniest ones, and it was very hard for Sonny to contain his laughter once Rafael started pulling out random red books to show her.

“Do you remember any other details about it?,” Rafael asked as calmly as he could as he was closely followed, like prey to a hawk. “What is the book about?”

“About the girl, of course,” she said, shaking her head at every book Rafael showed her. “The girl on the cover.”

Rafael nodded, setting his hands on his hips. There wasn’t a book he couldn’t find, and he looked like a man on a mission. “And how does this girl look like?”

“I’m not good with faces, dear,” the old lady said, tutting. “But I think there was a war.”

Sonny immediately knew which book she was referring to, and he snorted despite himself. She had described it the same way his grandmother had a few years back when said book was making the rounds again.

Rafael looked at him with a scowl, and he returned the look with a bright smile.

“I think this lovely lady is looking for The Diary of a Young Girl,” Sonny said, and recognition immediately dawned on Rafael’s face.

“Anne Frank?!,” Rafael exclaimed, baffled.

“That’s the one!,” she smiled, very pleased, then looked at Sonny. “You’re a very smart young man.”

Sonny shot his dimple at her. “I used to be a NYPD Detective.”

“Oh, New York’s Finest!,” the lady squealed, grabbing Rafael’s arm. “How nice!”

Rafael chuckled. “Very.”

As soon as Rafael went to collect the correct book for the woman, she let go of him and limped towards Sonny with a smile. He didn’t even flinch when she stopped across the counter and reached over to pat him on the cheek.

“So handsome,” she giggled. “Are you married?”

“No,” Sonny said, catching Rafael’s reaction from the corner of his eye. “But I’m with someone very special.”

The lady cooed. “She’s very lucky.”

“I’ll pass the message along to him,” he replied, no hesitation, even though Rafael inhaled sharply from behind the shelves. He’d be damned if he let this woman think he was dating a woman when the incredible man he’d fallen for was right there. “But I’m the lucky one, really.”

“How charming,” the woman continued, seemingly unfazed by Sonny’s declaration.

Rafael emerged from his hiding spot then, waving the ‘red book with the girl on the cover’ in the air like a trophy. “Here we are,” he said. “Anything else I can help you with, ma’am?”

“No, that’s everything, thank you,” she said, pulling out a little purse from her pocket. “How much is it?”

“I got it,” Sonny said and Rafael wasn’t even surprised, he simply continued processing the purchase as he would.

“Oh, there’s no need, young man, I’ve been saving,” the old lady said with a wave of her hand.

“Well, let me get this for you anyway,” Sonny shrugged. “There’s a nice coffee shop across the street that serves very good tea with a nice slice of apple crumble. Sounds like a great place to read a new book, uh?”

The lady was, as Rafael had once called it, ‘enchanted by his blue eyes and sneaky dimple’, and he knew that because of the look Rafael shot him when the lady giggled lightly and put her purse away. He handed Rafael his credit card without a word, and Rafael also didn’t say anything as he swiped it then handed it back.

Sonny bagged the lady’s book and followed her to the door. She made her way out with the warmest thanks and a bright smile, promising to come back soon and wishing Sonny all the luck with ‘his love’. He chuckled at that and looked over his shoulder at Rafael, who was observing him from behind the counter.

“Do you really have to pay for every old lady who comes in here?,” Rafael asked amusedly once the door closed behind the woman.

“Ah come on, Raf,” he teased with a lopsided grin. “They all remind me of my nonna.”

Rafael nodded at that, but didn’t say anything else.

A while back he’d confided in Sonny that he’d open the bookshop because of his own grandmother and her love for fairytales. Her stories were one of the few things that offered Rafael an escape from the complicated reality of his family and his father’s abusive behavior.

Once he left the DA’s office, opening a place that offered other people places to escape to felt like the natural thing for him and, in his little bookshop, he’d been able to heal wounds he never even knew were still open.

“I’m glad you never knew me back then,” Rafael confessed once, his head resting on Sonny’s chest.

Sonny’s heart ached, and he pressed a kiss to Rafael’s temple. “I doubt it’d change the way I feel about you, Raf.”

And maybe Rafael didn’t believe him, but a part of Sonny would have given everything to be able to work with Rafael. He was a legend, people still spoke of him and his courtroom tactics, and there was nothing but awe in their voices, mentioning Rafael’s name like an oath.

So Sonny allowed the silence to fill the bookshop again, and they went back to the slice of carrot cake he’d brought. Rafael took the first bite, humming happily as he chewed, and offered Sonny the next bite.

A couple minutes later, Agatha jumped on the counter, curious and eager for any crumbs that might fall between them. For a few moments, they stood there, sharing the cake, with a cake-stealer cat all but diving into the tupperware when she thought they weren’t looking.

“My sister Bella’s getting suspicious,” Sonny broke the silence once ⅔ of the cake had been consumed. Rafael looked like he was in a sugary-induced daze, and he smiled. “I think she knows I’m seeing someone.”

Rafael looked up from the cake with an eyebrow raised. “Don’t tell me she already wants to meet me.”

Sonny grimaced. It was a little early for the whole ‘meeting the family’ ordeal, true, but he was talking about the Carisis; he doubted he’d be able to hold out much longer.

“It’s just my sister,” he offered.

“Sonny, from what you’ve told me about your sisters I know Bella won’t keep it secret from the other two.”

Sonny frowned. “I didn’t know we were keeping it a secret.”

“We’re not,” Rafael shook his head. “But don’t you think it’s early? It’s only been a couple months and I’m not…,” he sighed. “I’m not good at the ‘meeting the family’ part of relationships.”

Sonny’s heart tugged at the vulnerability in Rafael’s expression; here was a man known for excelling at everything he put his mind to admitting that he didn’t feel confident in his ability to completely sweep Sonny’s family off their feet.

He’d coo out loud if he didn’t know that would result in Rafael shooting him a murderous glare then immediately shutting him off. Sonny would never want Rafael to hide from him, so he simply nodded and pushed the tupperware with the last bite of cake towards him.

“My family is loud, nosey, and painfully Italian,” Sonny started, and Rafael chuckled. “But so am I. You haven’t managed to scare me away, Raf, you won’t scare them off either.”

Rafael ate the last forkful of cake and chewed slowly, mulling over Sonny’s words. Sonny could see him building arguments in his mind, his knitted brow and quick movement of his eyes giving it away.

“I’m not concerned about _scaring them off_ , as you put it,” Rafael said, and tensed.

Sonny frowned slightly, then rounded the counter to stand beside him. He put a hand on Rafael’s lower back, massaging and kneading his muscles slowly. He waited in silence while Rafael considered his next words.

“What if they think I’m not good enough for you?,” Rafael said after a while, and Sonny almost yelled.

“Raf,” he said in a whisper, hand never stopping on Rafael’s back. “Look at me, please?”

Rafael turned his head to him and moved towards Sonny’s touch, careful not to dislodge his hand.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” Sonny continued, still keeping his voice low, like he was telling him a secret, intimate. “And I’m so happy, just being here with you. And that’s all my family could want for me, you know? Someone who makes me happy.”

He leaned in to place a soft kiss on Rafael’s forehead, then smiled against his skin. “Besides, if anyone can handle my family, it’s you. I’m sure of it.”

Rafael tilted his head back and kissed him on the lips, but it was still a soft kiss; it felt and tasted adoring.

“I guess you could bring Bella around one of these days,” Rafael said, looking up at Sonny with a small smile. “But only Bella, no baby niece.”

Sonny laughed, loud and bright. “Of course, Raf,” he kissed the tip of his nose. “I wouldn’t dare to push you that far.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! My idea was to keep this series here, but I've had a story set in every season except winter, so maybe I might do one more?? 
> 
> I appreciate all of you being here and reading these. If you liked it, please leave a little kudo so I'll know MWAH! See you soon <3


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